The present invention relates to coin banks and in particular to a flexible bank for use in saving and storing coins. The particular bank of the preferred embodiment is such as to be disposible following use.
Numerous types of conventional banks are well known. Many of such banks have fairly rigid, hollow, structures; the banks having been formed from metals, ceramics, wood or the like. Such banks generally include a coin slot in an upper portion thereof, and have an access aperture in the lower portion thereof; the access aperture being retained closed by a plug. A user storing coins in such a bank generally inserts them through the coin slot, with the coins being retained within the bank by the plug member in the access aperture. When the bank is full, or otherwise when it is desired that the coins be removed from such a bank, the aperture plug is removed from the access aperture, and the bank is shaken or otherwise manipulated to remove the coins therefrom. For some conventional coin banks, particularly those of the ceramic type, an access aperture may be missing; with the bank being broken open at a time when it is desired that the coins be removed therefrom.
While such conventional banks have had wide popularity, they are not generally acceptable for situations in which it is desired that coins be conveniently stored in a non-decorative, disposable, container which, when filled with coins, may be taken to, and left at, a bank or other institution whereat the coins may be dumped from the container for counting and sorting.
In some instances in which coins are temporarily stored, for example during an accumulation before transfer to a savings institution or the like, bags such as heavy fabric bags are used. Such bags, while they avoid many of the problems of conventional rigid-structured banks, also suffer from numerous limitations. For example, such bags can be relatively expensive to manufacture, clean and maintain. Further, such bags may wear out and rupture under repeated use, in some instances leading to unexpected, uncontrolled and undesired spillage of coins. While this latter problem might be avoided by limiting repeated use, it is a drawback to such bags because they may be too expensive to use only a few times. Further, they may be too expensive for the typical consumer to fill and leave at a savings institution for disposal.
Another drawback to the utilization of a simple, conventional, fabric bag to hold coins is that should the bag tip over, the coins may fall outwardly from an upper portion thereof. Even if the upper portion of the bag includes an enclosure means such as string ties, a zipper or the like, to retain same shut, the bag may still be undesirable as a savings bank. A reason for this is that the zipper or other enclosure means permits ready access to the interior of the bank, so that coins may be readily removed therefrom, without leaving notice, before the bag is transferred to the savings institution or wherever. Thus, coins might be stolen from the container without leaving a trace. Further, such closure means add cost to the product.
What has been needed is a relatively inexpensive, disposible, bank or receptacle for the storage of coins, that is relatively inexpensive to produce, relatively strong, and of a design enabling coins to be readily stored therein. Preferably such a bank would have a design making it relatively difficult to rapidly remove coins therefrom, without the leaving of some type of permanent mark or other indication on the bank to indicate tampering. Further, a preferred feature of such a bank is that when opening for complete removal of coins therefrom is desired, same may be relatively easily accomplished. Other preferred features of such a bank, to overcome problems in conventional systems including those described above, are that the bank should be of a design enabling easy storage and also that it should be relatively easy to insert coins into the bank, when desired.